GUN WATCH : A Policy With Teeth

So far this year more than 90 students have been expelled from Los Angeles public schools for possessing a chilling arsenal of firearms. Among the weapons found on campus were sawed-off shotguns and semiautomatic pistols.

The argument of some students that they must carry weapons for self-defense is a hollow one: Firearms have absolutely no place at school, period. That’s why, despite its vocal critics, the Los Angeles school board’s recently strengthened policy on weapons violations--which mandates automatic expulsion for students with guns on campus--is appropriate and should stay firmly in place.

Those tighter procedures were adopted last January after the accidental shooting death of Fairfax High School student Demetrius L. Rice, one of two students killed by gunfire on Los Angeles campuses this year. And judging by Times staff writer John L. Mitchell’s report Monday on students with guns, the schools need to be even more vigilant in acting to keep guns out.

Kids carry guns for all kinds of reasons. Some pack weapons to show off or to exact revenge. Others feel they need protection from gangs; while understandable, that fear is not a good reason to endanger innocent fellow students.

How schools find those weapons--whether through metal detectors, undercover detectives or toll-free telephone numbers--isn’t as important as that they be found and the perpetrators be removed. The safety of the educational environment simply cannot be compromised.